SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
(appointments to be made at HRC26 in June 2014)
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and expression [HRC res. 16/4]
How to start the application process:
- The application process has been split into 2 parts, the first part is a Webbased survey and the second part is an application form in word which can be
downloaded, completed and returned by email. Both parts and all sections of
the application form should be filled in for the application to be processed.
The first part, i.e. the Web-based survey is used to collect information for
statistical purposes such as personal data (i.e. name, gender, nationality),
contact details, mandate/s applying for and nominating entity. The webbased survey should only be completed once, i.e. multiple selection
allowed to indicate if the candidate is applying for more than one mandates.
This is the second part, i.e. of the application form in Word which can be
downloaded, completed and saved in word format and then submitted as an
attachment by email. Information provided in this form, includes a motivation
letter of maximum 600 words, will be used as received to prepare the public
list of candidates who applied for each vacancy and will be made available to
concerned parties, including through the OHCHR Internet.
Once completed the application form in Word should be submitted by email to
hrcspecialprocedures@ohchr.org
If the candidate is applying for more than one mandates, an application form
needs to be completed and sent for each mandate.
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A maximum of 3 reference letters can be attached, in pdf format, to the
application sent by email. No additional document is required.
Application Deadline: Thursday, 3 April 2014 (midnight, GMT).
Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed at a later stage.
If encountering technical difficulties, you may contact us by email:
hrcspecialprocedures@ohchr.org or fax: + 41 22 917 9011
An acknowledgment will be sent when we receive both parts of the
application process, i.e. the information through the web-based
survey and the application form through email.
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
(appointments to be made at HRC26 in June 2014)
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and expression [HRC res. 16/4]
I. PERSONAL DATA
Family Name:
Sebastian
First Name:
Timothy
Maiden name (if any):
Middle name: Nicholas
Sex:
Male
Female
Date of birth ( d-MMM-yy): 13-Mar-52
Place of birth: London
Nationality(please indicate the
nationality that will appear on the public
list of candidates): British
Any other nationality:
II. MANDATE - SPECIFIC COMPETENCE/QUALIFICATION/KNOWLEDGE
NOTE: Please describe why the candidate’s
competence/qualifications/knowledge is relevant in relation to the
specific mandate:
QUALIFICATIONS (200 words)
Relevant educational
qualifications or equivalent
professional experience in the
field of human rights; good
communication skills (i.e. orally
and in writing) in one of the
official languages of the United
Nations (i.e. Arabic, Chinese,
English, French, Russian,
Spanish.)
RELEVANT EXPERTISE (200
words)
Knowledge of international
human rights instruments,
norms and principles. (Please
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I have been a reporter and correspondent
for well over 35 years, broadcasting,
interviewing and writing for global
audiences on the BBC and in newspapers,
including the New York Times. I therefore
have first-class communication skills and
have won a number of professional awards.
I also speak Russian, having studied
Modern Languages at Oxford University. I
have reported on numerous violations of
human rights - especially free speech during the final years of the Communist
Bloc in Eastern Europe and more recently
in the Middle East. I have continually
sought to widen the practice of free
expression in televised and non-televised
debates, including in recent years, in
Turkey, Uganda and India.
During my time as a reporter and
interviewer I continually raised, at the
highest levels, the subject of human rights
in relation to war crimes, the right to life,
SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
(appointments to be made at HRC26 in June 2014)
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and expression [HRC res. 16/4]
state how this was acquired).
Knowledge of institutional
mandates related to the United
Nations or other international or
regional organizations’ work in
the area of human rights.
(Please state how this was
acquired).
Proven work experience in the
field of human rights. (Please
state years of experience.
torture and freedom of expression. I also
discussed such issues in workshops and
debates over many years with young
people in India and the Middle East and
moderated frequent discussions on related
topics.
ESTABLISHED COMPETENCE
(200 words)
Nationally, regionally or
internationally recognized
competence related to human
rights. (Please explain how such
competence was acquired).
Through broadcasts over more than three
decades I established a reputation for
tough but fair questioning on human rights'
issues, based on facts and a knowledge of
human rights' instruments. I was required
to interview heads of government and
ministers from many parts of the world on
their human rights' record. That included
raising a large number of individual cases
and inquiring into alleged human rights'
abuses in many different regions.
FLEXIBILITY/READINESS AND
AVAILABILITY OF TIME (200
words)
to perform effectively the
functions of the mandate and to
respond to its requirements,
including participating in Human
Rights Council sessions in
Geneva and General Assembly
sessions in New York, travelling
I continue to work as a journalist and am
currently funded by European governments
to engage young people from the Middle
East in televised debates about the future
of their region - and to extend, where
possible, the boundaries of free speech.
I therefore have a degree of flexibility in
scheduling my work and would make
available the necessary time to fulfil the
many commitments of a special rapporteur.
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
(appointments to be made at HRC26 in June 2014)
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and expression [HRC res. 16/4]
on special procedures visits,
drafting reports and engaging
with a variety of stakeholders.
(Indicate whether candidate can
dedicate an estimated total of
approx. three months per year
to the work of a mandate)
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
(appointments to be made at HRC26 in June 2014)
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and expression [HRC res. 16/4]
III. LANGUAGES (READ / WRITTEN / SPOKEN)
Please indicate all language skills
Languages
Arabic
Chinese
English
French
Russian
Spanish
Mother
tongue:
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Read
Not
Easily
Easily
Write
Easily
Not
Easily
Speak
Not
Easily
Easily
SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
(appointments to be made at HRC26 in June 2014)
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and expression [HRC res. 16/4]
IV. Motivation Letter (600 word limit)
I am a career journalist who has led by example in promoting free speech and
encouraging others, on the ground, especially in the Arab world, to extend and
widen its usage. In this I have pursued and produced tangible results. This is
the same approach I would take to the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur
on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, informed by my professional
experience.
For more than 30 years I reported for the BBC, without fear or favour and
without bias or prejudice. For that, I received the top awards for journalism
from the Royal Television Society and the British Academy of Film and
Television arts.
Over more than 7 years , I presented the BBC’s global interview programme
Hardtalk. Our focus was unashamedly on human rights violations – wherever
they were committed and irrespective of who committed them.
Our programme was fact-based, truthful, objective and fearless.
In my interviews I never forgot the disappeared, the violated and the
dispossessed. I named their names and sought accountability for the damage
they had sustained.
As a viewer in Syria once wrote to me: “You speak to many hateful oppressors
around the world – but you speak for the helpless and the hopeless.”
In 2004 I was asked by the government of Qatar to set up the first, free and
uncensored debate programme in the Arab world, exposing thousands of Arab
youth to the benefits of free speech, often for the first time in their life.
My team and I succeeded in substantially widening the space for dialogue and
free expression in a region that had – in recent years – seen very little of it.
We provided training for young people in how to use fact-based questioning as
a tool of accountability and democracy. We helped set up debating societies
which led to healthy criticism and questioning of local politicians.
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
(appointments to be made at HRC26 in June 2014)
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and expression [HRC res. 16/4]
My aim in all of this was to show the benefits of free speech, as a basic and
enabling right; to encourage civic participation and to cooperate with
governments to widen the space for the expression and tolerance of different
views.
Working with the Qatari government was key to getting free speech forums
accepted for the first time in a Gulf state.
Where there was a need for quiet negotiation to bring about such change, we
met the need. Where there was a need to report in public, I reported.
That kind of cooperation would be central to my role as a Special Rapporteur.
Today in Qatar, debate shows survive, questioning in classrooms survives,
participation in international competitions and international dialogues has
survived.
While I do not claim to have brought this about single-handedly, I do believe
the efforts of my team did produce a measurable increase in the exercise of
free speech in a new and complex political environment.
In summary, I have spent my professional life exercising free speech, extolling
its virtues, battling at grass roots level against arbitrary limitations on it,
encouraging it and succeeding in getting many others to do the same.
I would regard it as an enormous privilege to continue that work as the UN
Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression; to continue
widening the space for free speech; creating awareness of its central
importance; and improving protections for those, including my fellow
journalists, who seek to exercise their right to share information and opinion.
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
(appointments to be made at HRC26 in June 2014)
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and expression [HRC res. 16/4]
V. EDUCATIONAL RECORD
NOTE: Please list the candidate’s academic qualifications: (university
level and higher)
Name of degree and name of academic
institution
Years of
Attendance
Place and
Country
BA(Hons), Modern Languages Oxford
University
1970-73
UK
Diploma in Journalism Studies, University of
South Wales
1973-74
UK
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
(appointments to be made at HRC26 in June 2014)
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and expression [HRC res. 16/4]
VI. EMPLOYMENT RECORD
NOTE: Please briefly list ALL RELEVANT professional positions held,
beginning with the most recent one:
Name of Employer
Functional Title
Main functions of position
Years of
Attendance/
Work
Place
and
Country
Chairman and founder of the New Arab Debates
(freelance)
2011-
Middle
East/
N.Africa
Chairman and founder of the Doha Debates
(freelance)
2004-12
Middle
East
BBC Journalist, correspondent and interviewer
1976-2004
Global
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
(appointments to be made at HRC26 in June 2014)
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and expression [HRC res. 16/4]
VII. COMPLIANCE WITH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY PROVISIONS (of
Council Resolution 5/1)
1. To your knowledge, does the candidate have any official, professional,
personal, or financial relationships that might cause him/her to limit the extent
of their inquiries, to limit disclosure, or to weaken or slant findings in any way?
If yes, please explain.
No
2. Are there any factors that could either directly or indirectly influence,
pressure, threaten, or otherwise affect the candidate’s ability to act
independently in discharging his/her mandate? If yes, please explain:
No
3. Is there any reason, currently or in that past, that could call into question
the candidate’s moral authority and credibility or does the candidate hold any
views or opinions that could prejudice the manner in which she/he discharges
his mandate? If yes, please explain:
No
4. Does the candidate comply with the provisions in paragraph 44 and 46 of
the Annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1?
Para. 44: The principle of non-accumulation of human rights functions at
a time shall be respected.
Para. 46: Individuals holding decision-making positions in Government
or in any other organization or entity which may give rise to a conflict of
interest with the responsibilities inherent to the mandate shall be
excluded. Mandate-holders will act in their personal capacity
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
(appointments to be made at HRC26 in June 2014)
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and expression [HRC res. 16/4]
Yes
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SECOND PART: APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
(appointments to be made at HRC26 in June 2014)
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and expression [HRC res. 16/4]
5. Should the candidate be appointed as a mandate holder, he/she will have to
take measures to comply with paragraphs 44 and 46 of the Annex to Council
resolution 5/1. In the event that the current occupation or activity, even if
unpaid, of the candidate may give rise to a conflict of interest (e.g. if a
candidate holds a decision-making position in Government) and/or there is an
accumulation of human rights functions (e.g. as a member of another human
rights mechanism at the international, regional or national level), necessary
measures could include relinquishing positions, occupations or activities. If
applicable, please indicate the measures the candidate will take.
Not applicable
You will receive an acknowledgment when we receive both parts of the
application process, i.e. the information through the Web-based application and
the Word application form by email.
Thank you for your interest.
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